Middle East Archives

Featured commentary and analysis

Mary McCord, Former Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Joins the Atlantic Council as Nonresident Senior Fellow

Thu, May 20, 2021

Experts React: What’s next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?

After eleven days of cross-border fighting, Hamas and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire. Atlantic Council experts react to the news, assess the significance of the recent surge in violence, and offer their thoughts on how the international community should deal with the conflict moving forward.

MENASource by Atlantic Council

Israel Middle East

Thu, May 13, 2021

The escalation between Israel and Hamas: What’s new—and what’s not

While the intensity of the fighting appears to have caught some veteran practitioners of Middle East conflict and diplomacy by surprise, a trail of discernable factors led to this fraught outcome.

MENASource by Shalom Lipner

Israel Middle East

Wed, May 12, 2021

FAST THINKING: How bad will Israeli-Palestinian violence get?

Is an all-out war brewing? What does this mean for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s future? What role will regional and global powers now play in the confrontation? From Washington to Jerusalem, our experts are here to weigh in.

Fast Thinking by Atlantic Council

Cybersecurity Energy & Environment

Featured event

Wed, Mar 31, 2021

Roundtable on IGNITING Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Saudi Arabia

10:00am

Programs

The latest pieces from MENASource:

Fri, Sep 17, 2021

Syria after the fall of Kabul: A European perspective

There is at least one common factor between Syria and Afghanistan: just as the Taliban has not changed once it took back power, the Bashar al-Assad regime will not change once its power is affirmed.

MENASource by Michel Duclos

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

Wed, Sep 15, 2021

Renewed hostilities in Daraa offer lessons and opportunities in Syria. But will Washington pay attention?

Prolonged unrest in the south highlights rifts within the pro-Bashar al-Assad camp, notably between Iran and Damascus on one side and Russia on the other, potentially presenting a unique opportunity for diplomacy.

MENASource by Alexander Langlois

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

Mon, Sep 13, 2021

Defusing Saudi Arabia-UAE tensions through economic rebalancing

By identifying the economic imbalances contributing to the breakdown, recalibration is possible to rebuild a more balanced relationship that circumvents the zero-sum game that has given rise to the Riyadh-Abu Dhabi dispute.

MENASource by Hani Findakly

Experts

Hamad Abbas

Assistant Director

Extremism Geopolitics & Energy Security

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Sharif Abdelrazeq

Sustainability and Innovation Engineer, Consolidated Contractors Company

Economy & Business Middle East

Millennium Leadership Program

Grace Abuhamad

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Policy Internet

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Amjad Ahmad

Director and Senior Fellow

Arabic Economy & Business

empowerME Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Kamal Alam

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Afghanistan English

South Asia Center

Hussein Al Baya

Former Principal, Blackstone

Climate Change & Climate Action Economy & Business

Millennium Leadership Program

Content

Fri, Sep 17, 2021

Mary McCord, Former Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Joins the Atlantic Council as Nonresident Senior Fellow

McCord will contribute extensive senior government experience to the Council’s leading work on counterterrorism, national security, the rule of law, and litigation

Press Release by Atlantic Council

Defense Policy Extremism

Fri, Sep 17, 2021

Syria after the fall of Kabul: A European perspective

There is at least one common factor between Syria and Afghanistan: just as the Taliban has not changed once it took back power, the Bashar al-Assad regime will not change once its power is affirmed.

MENASource by Michel Duclos

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

Thu, Sep 16, 2021

Iran’s environmental woes could be Raisi’s Achilles heel

Among the challenges encountered by the Islamic Republic of Iran, climate change looms as one of the most serious, disrupting, and even life-threatening issues facing both rural and urban populations. This threat has worsened at a time when Iran is politically polarized, ideologically fractured, and economically embattled.

IranSource by Javad Heiran-Nia and Mahmood Monshipouri

Energy & Environment Iran

Wed, Sep 15, 2021

Renewed hostilities in Daraa offer lessons and opportunities in Syria. But will Washington pay attention?

MENASource by Alexander Langlois

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

Wed, Sep 15, 2021

State of the Order: Assessing August 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Blog Post

Afghanistan Belarus

Tue, Sep 14, 2021